The Impact of Leadership Behaviours & Burnout ??
Sally McGrath
Founder @ Health that Heals Practice | #Burnout | Preventative Health Educator | Mental Health | 1:1 Coaching | Speaker | Workplace Wellbeing Facilitator
Burnout:
A crucial topic that affects both organisations and individuals.
As professionals, we often encounter situations where stress, pressure, and long working hours become a part of our daily lives. While burnout can stem from various sources, one factor that plays a significant role in its development is the behavior of leaders within our workplaces.
Leadership behaviours have a profound impact on the overall well-being of their teams. When leaders exhibit certain behaviors, it can either foster a supportive and positive work environment or lead to a toxic and stressful one. Unfortunately, the latter often contributes to employee and leader burnout.
How do the behaviours of leaders contribute to burnout among their teams?
Lack of Empathy:
Leaders who fail to empathize with their team members' challenges and concerns can lead to feelings of isolation and detachment. When employees feel that their leaders don't understand or care about their well-being, it can increase stress and diminish motivation.
Excessive Demands:
Expecting employees to work beyond their capacity on a consistent basis can lead to physical and emotional exhaustion. Leaders must strike a balance between pushing for excellence and recognising the limits of their team members.
Micromanagement:
Constantly hovering over employees and micromanaging their tasks can erode trust and confidence. This lack of autonomy can lead to frustration and feelings of inadequacy, contributing to burnout.
Ambiguity:
When leaders fail to communicate clearly about goals, expectations, and changes, it can create ambiguity, resulting in confusion and anxiety. Employees might find themselves second-guessing their actions and worrying about the repercussions of mistakes, often a precursor to procrastination, sick leave, and absenteeism.
Recognition & Appreciation:
Lack of acknowledgment for hard work and achievements can leave employees feeling unvalued and unappreciated. A genuine show of recognition can go a long way in boosting morale and preventing burnout.
Work & Life Combination:
Leaders who don't support a combination of work-life may inadvertently encourage a culture of overworking. This can lead to burnout as employees struggle to juggle their personal and professional responsibilities, working well beyond capacity, which is unproductive, unrealistic, and has negative impacts on both leaders and individuals.
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To address burnout and empower a healthier work environment, leaders must adopt behaviors that promote well-being and support themselves and their teams. Here are some key strategies they can implement:
Show genuine care for your team members and be open to understanding their challenges and needs.
Be mindful of the workload and ensure that expectations align with the available resources and time.
Trust yourself and your team/s to take ownership of their tasks and provide support when needed, without micromanaging.
Keep your team informed about relevant changes, goals, and expectations. Create an environment where questions and feedback are encouraged.
Acknowledge the efforts and accomplishments of your team openly and regularly.
Lead by example and promote a healthy work-life balance for yourself and your team.
By prioritising the well-being of yourself as the leader and your team/s through adopting positive leadership behaviors, you can create workplaces where the risk of burnout is lessened through education and awareness.
As an expert in burnout, it's up to us as professionals, to educate, empower and support one another in building healthier work cultures and workplaces that enable personal and collective growth.
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